Friday, March 12, 2004
167. Stupid excuses
168. Having someone else cook you something
169. Someone else knowing your kitchen better than you do
170. Not getting a sunburn
171. A good scream
172. Corny sayings
173. Hallmark cards
174. Climbing a tree
175. A crisis averted
176. Animal crackers
177. Oreos and milk (double stuffed too!)
178. Ramen noodles
179. Making a stupid game up
180. Drawing-art for the sake of art
181. Getting 100 on a test that you know you deserve
182. Getting a letter
183. Lifeguards
184. Eye contact with a cute stranger
185. Going into the city
186. Broadway plays
187. Shopping sprees
188. Finding something that fits perfectly
189. Florida
190. A sincere smile
Went to an author luncheon today (still wondering if luncheon was made up by someone who felt lunch didn’t sound pretentious enough) and listened to a very interesting lecture on how fiction is always culled from reality, yet not autobiographical. I haven’t read her yet (Katharine Weber) but I intend to now. Of course, she also trashed “Little Women” in some ways, and I don’t think I’ll like her rewriting of it…but I’m going to TRY to go into it with as open a mind as possible. It’s hard to hear a childhood love slandered though!
In other news, my mom’s old teaching friend won a raffle prize. She wins one every year even though she buys significantly fewer tickets than everyone else. I’m telling you, on this alone I could base a very strong case for karma being the way the world works. She is the best, neatest lady. Wrote for the Times, traveled all over the world, married her soulmate, smart and educated and interesting and interested. She started our rock collection, is the least complaining lady I know with more things to complain about than most, is a huge reader…last week she called my mom wanting to join a march on Washington for women’s rights. Soooo cool. We had a lovely talk about Bush and Kerry…Supreme Court justices and if Roe v. Wade will be overturned…environment…she thinks Martha’s getting it because she’s a woman (I disagree)…her time in Italy…Egypt…England…boy is she cool!
Alright, that was yesterday, but I got distracted and forgot to finish and post.
As today was my last day of work, and I forgot to finish yesterday, I’m going to blabber on a bit. Nice thing about a blog—it won’t get bored, and no one’s forced to read it! And I like other people’s long blog entries, too.
So waiting for the train in the morning, out on the platform in the cold, I’m watching this group of young boys with one of their mothers getting so excited about going into the city. I’d say fifth grade, with the littlest one in baseball cap and way too long shorts to make up for it, lots of goofing around and playing and “remember when.” Then they’d all laugh at the same time, different little boy tones mixing and sounding exactly like the cooing of mourning doves. The commuters begin filing up the stairs and out of the building, hearing the distant train rumble and the clanging of the railroad crossing going down. The kids have not noticed and then—gasp—the first, most alert one yells, “The Train!!” as it comes around the bend. And then their jaws dropped. Their eyes went wide as dinner plates. Silence for one pause of a moment, and then a cacophony of sound erupted from them. “Look!” “Do you see?” “It’s a DOUBLE DECKER!” “Mom, it’s a DOUBLE DECKER!” Beautiful happiest of happy grins on their faces. This was THE joy of joys. The trip to the city was exciting, but a double decker train was just the icing on the proverbial cake. Gosh, they were so happy. And the mother looked over and grinned at me because I was grinning at them, and I looked around and all these stony face people I’ve been riding the train with every day are smiling. It was a lovely moment at 8:20 on a blustery not quite spring day.
Today, as I said earlier, was my last day of work. No more boss/big boss. The two agents, Andrea and Mike, took me out to coffee after work and chatted and answered questions. I won’t miss the commute, or Big Boss, but I will miss some of the people. They were awfully nice to me today, and very appreciative, and it was fun talking to them outside of work. Wish I’d done it earlier…but then again, they usually stay at the office ‘til 8 or 9, and that’s just too late for me to go hang out if I’m going to be getting up at 6 the next morning and will still have to commute home.
In other interesting news, I met someone notorious today. Buzzer sounds, I get up to get it, open the door, and there are these two people standing there. My first thought is, wow, he’s so short, because the guy was a good foot below me. (I was in boots today, but still). They say hi, I’m smiling at them (because I smile at people, friendly, but with NO idea who they are), and they walk in like they own the place. Whatever, lots of people do that. So I say hi, go back to my desk, and keep doing my thing. The guy comes around the corner and asks if he can check his email. I say of course, he’s screaming like a ten year old ADD kid. No kidding, he’s running around the office making noises, doing voices, singing, chattering at everyone, laughing, being distracted and flighty. It isn’t until Deb asks him how the view was that I really start wondering. “Did you meet Barbara Walters?” she asks. Ohhh The View. He says, “Yeah, Starr Jones called me lazy but I put her in her place,” and laughs maniacally. “Deb,” I whisper, “who is this guy?” “I thought you knew,” she whispers back. “It’s Jayson Blair.”
It’s amazing, what a little knowledge can do. The man who brought down The Times. Journalistic integrity made a mockery of. Created an insta-argument against affirmative action. Lied and cheated and did all sorts of things I consider morally despicable, especially in a member of a respected paper I trusted to give me the truth. My opinion morphed from “slightly strange and random little man” to “how cowardly, dastardly, irritating, I’m so ashamed that they represent him blech blarg.”
He seemed perfectly nice, and I was a little sorry to see how fast I closed off entirely. I continued to be civil and nice until he left. I find it hard to even pretend to respect him though. Made it a more interesting day!
Getting psyched for Florida.
Had one of the all time BEST blitz wars last night. I was in a mood, so I admit, I instigated. Kept poking and prodding until everyone started playing. And BOY was it fun. The height of English dorkdom was reached when Chris started blitzing out in rhymed verse and Bright started responding in haiku. I LOVE smart people. I howled for a full hour after my bedtime, barely able to keep up with the flying wit.
Spoons now encompass three of my favorite jokes, we realized in Ireland.
I could keep blabbing, but Bright’s bored. :-)
|
168. Having someone else cook you something
169. Someone else knowing your kitchen better than you do
170. Not getting a sunburn
171. A good scream
172. Corny sayings
173. Hallmark cards
174. Climbing a tree
175. A crisis averted
176. Animal crackers
177. Oreos and milk (double stuffed too!)
178. Ramen noodles
179. Making a stupid game up
180. Drawing-art for the sake of art
181. Getting 100 on a test that you know you deserve
182. Getting a letter
183. Lifeguards
184. Eye contact with a cute stranger
185. Going into the city
186. Broadway plays
187. Shopping sprees
188. Finding something that fits perfectly
189. Florida
190. A sincere smile
Went to an author luncheon today (still wondering if luncheon was made up by someone who felt lunch didn’t sound pretentious enough) and listened to a very interesting lecture on how fiction is always culled from reality, yet not autobiographical. I haven’t read her yet (Katharine Weber) but I intend to now. Of course, she also trashed “Little Women” in some ways, and I don’t think I’ll like her rewriting of it…but I’m going to TRY to go into it with as open a mind as possible. It’s hard to hear a childhood love slandered though!
In other news, my mom’s old teaching friend won a raffle prize. She wins one every year even though she buys significantly fewer tickets than everyone else. I’m telling you, on this alone I could base a very strong case for karma being the way the world works. She is the best, neatest lady. Wrote for the Times, traveled all over the world, married her soulmate, smart and educated and interesting and interested. She started our rock collection, is the least complaining lady I know with more things to complain about than most, is a huge reader…last week she called my mom wanting to join a march on Washington for women’s rights. Soooo cool. We had a lovely talk about Bush and Kerry…Supreme Court justices and if Roe v. Wade will be overturned…environment…she thinks Martha’s getting it because she’s a woman (I disagree)…her time in Italy…Egypt…England…boy is she cool!
Alright, that was yesterday, but I got distracted and forgot to finish and post.
As today was my last day of work, and I forgot to finish yesterday, I’m going to blabber on a bit. Nice thing about a blog—it won’t get bored, and no one’s forced to read it! And I like other people’s long blog entries, too.
So waiting for the train in the morning, out on the platform in the cold, I’m watching this group of young boys with one of their mothers getting so excited about going into the city. I’d say fifth grade, with the littlest one in baseball cap and way too long shorts to make up for it, lots of goofing around and playing and “remember when.” Then they’d all laugh at the same time, different little boy tones mixing and sounding exactly like the cooing of mourning doves. The commuters begin filing up the stairs and out of the building, hearing the distant train rumble and the clanging of the railroad crossing going down. The kids have not noticed and then—gasp—the first, most alert one yells, “The Train!!” as it comes around the bend. And then their jaws dropped. Their eyes went wide as dinner plates. Silence for one pause of a moment, and then a cacophony of sound erupted from them. “Look!” “Do you see?” “It’s a DOUBLE DECKER!” “Mom, it’s a DOUBLE DECKER!” Beautiful happiest of happy grins on their faces. This was THE joy of joys. The trip to the city was exciting, but a double decker train was just the icing on the proverbial cake. Gosh, they were so happy. And the mother looked over and grinned at me because I was grinning at them, and I looked around and all these stony face people I’ve been riding the train with every day are smiling. It was a lovely moment at 8:20 on a blustery not quite spring day.
Today, as I said earlier, was my last day of work. No more boss/big boss. The two agents, Andrea and Mike, took me out to coffee after work and chatted and answered questions. I won’t miss the commute, or Big Boss, but I will miss some of the people. They were awfully nice to me today, and very appreciative, and it was fun talking to them outside of work. Wish I’d done it earlier…but then again, they usually stay at the office ‘til 8 or 9, and that’s just too late for me to go hang out if I’m going to be getting up at 6 the next morning and will still have to commute home.
In other interesting news, I met someone notorious today. Buzzer sounds, I get up to get it, open the door, and there are these two people standing there. My first thought is, wow, he’s so short, because the guy was a good foot below me. (I was in boots today, but still). They say hi, I’m smiling at them (because I smile at people, friendly, but with NO idea who they are), and they walk in like they own the place. Whatever, lots of people do that. So I say hi, go back to my desk, and keep doing my thing. The guy comes around the corner and asks if he can check his email. I say of course, he’s screaming like a ten year old ADD kid. No kidding, he’s running around the office making noises, doing voices, singing, chattering at everyone, laughing, being distracted and flighty. It isn’t until Deb asks him how the view was that I really start wondering. “Did you meet Barbara Walters?” she asks. Ohhh The View. He says, “Yeah, Starr Jones called me lazy but I put her in her place,” and laughs maniacally. “Deb,” I whisper, “who is this guy?” “I thought you knew,” she whispers back. “It’s Jayson Blair.”
It’s amazing, what a little knowledge can do. The man who brought down The Times. Journalistic integrity made a mockery of. Created an insta-argument against affirmative action. Lied and cheated and did all sorts of things I consider morally despicable, especially in a member of a respected paper I trusted to give me the truth. My opinion morphed from “slightly strange and random little man” to “how cowardly, dastardly, irritating, I’m so ashamed that they represent him blech blarg.”
He seemed perfectly nice, and I was a little sorry to see how fast I closed off entirely. I continued to be civil and nice until he left. I find it hard to even pretend to respect him though. Made it a more interesting day!
Getting psyched for Florida.
Had one of the all time BEST blitz wars last night. I was in a mood, so I admit, I instigated. Kept poking and prodding until everyone started playing. And BOY was it fun. The height of English dorkdom was reached when Chris started blitzing out in rhymed verse and Bright started responding in haiku. I LOVE smart people. I howled for a full hour after my bedtime, barely able to keep up with the flying wit.
Spoons now encompass three of my favorite jokes, we realized in Ireland.
I could keep blabbing, but Bright’s bored. :-)
